Happy, Joyous, and Free!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Martha Granger, a student in Landmark Education, asks for your support of her Community Project--PROJECT SOLDIERS & SKINS--to send the 700 Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with a Family Member or Care Provider to a Redskins Home Game this season.

Join us on facebook in the groups section where we have 277 supporters and 68 tickets donated so far!

Along with the tickets, include your name, mailing & email address, phone number, $ value of tickets, and "PROJECT SOLDIERS & SKINS." For more information, contact Martha Granger at martha.granger@us.army.mil

You can also make a donation thru PayPal to martha.granger@us.army.mil for $250 (regular season) or $260 (conference game) and I will buy the pair of tickets for you, mail them in, and let you know what game & seats your Wounded Warriors will be attending!--just let me know if you want to use this option!

I'm still looking for 6 more Project Leaders if you'd like to help spread the word, invite others, and come up with ideas to make this project better.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

This project was inspired by 6-year-old Julian Mackenzie of Quincy, Illinois. His family adopted his sister, Isabella, from Ethiopia in 2008. His dream is to help her orphanage there. The name and address of the orphanage is Hope for Abandoned Children and Orphan Care Association, Director Giday Buzuneh, Yeka KK Kebele 17, H. No. 1702, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This project runs from 17 January 2009 to 17 March 2009, on which day Julian will actually be in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the orphanage to see his dreams come true. Donations will go directly to helping the orphans of Ethiopia.

BREAKING NEWS of our PROGRESS:

For the most current news on our project, go to our group site on FACEBOOK or just GOOGLE “ChangeForEthiopia”!

A donation has been made to this project of 50 project banners by Peter White, VP Sales, Britten Inc., Traverse City, MI. They will be delivered 6 Feb--half to Quincy, IL and half to the orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. THANK YOU BRITTEN BANNERS!

T-SHIRTS are available for purchase thanks to Jimmy Harvey and Peninsula Screen Design, Newport News, Virginia! T-Shirts were donated at "cost" by Jimmy ($7) and we're asking for an additional $3 to go to ChangeForEthiopia: You And I Can Change The World! THANK YOU PENINSULA SCREEN DESIGN! State and Country Directors can order 100 t-shirts at a time from Martha Granger by sending a check for $640 and a shipment address to me--send me an email on FACEBOOK when you are ready to order with desired sizes and money in hand!

On 1/23/09, Kerri and Nathaniel Brooks donated $250 worth of diapers to Hope For Abandoned Children. Thank you for your donation!!!!

Over the weekend of 1/17/2009, the Mackenzie household received over $400 in donations of dollars and ChangeForEthiopia. Thank you to all who brought over your spare change!!

To make direct donations to the Heifer International Project closest to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, call Heifer International at 1-800-422-0474 and ask to donate to the Ethiopia Project specifically for Women's Livelihood Improvement. This donation cannot currently be made on line; however, Heifer is working to resolve that.

ChangeForEthiopia is partnered with Gobena Coffee: Coffee for a Cause at www.gobena.org 309-846-5413, e.gobenacoffee@yahoo.com. This organization sends 100% of their profits to Ethiopia.

ChangeForEthiopia has submitted an IDEA to STARBUCKS to support our project by selling ONLY Ethiopian Coffee on 17 March 2009 and donating all proceeds to ChangeForEthiopia. To vote in favor of this idea, please go to Starbucks.com. Select "My Starbucks Idea." Select "New Account." Set-up your free account (takes less than a minute to create ID, email, password, and screen name). Once you are logged in under My Starbucks Idea, you will see ChangeForEthiopia listed in the current ideas. Select it. Then give it a "thumbs up" vote for 10 points!

GROUP INFORMATION:

1. General Welcome to Newcomers2. General Information on Project3. State Director Names and Information by State or Territory4. Country Director Names and Information by Country (Africa only)5. Letters and emails of request sent to date (to/from)6. ROLES OF STATE, TERRITORY, AND COUNTRY DIRECTORS (as it applies to members of this project)--directors feel free to update your sections--you have admin rights7. Example Letter requesting support for our project____________________

1. GENERAL WELCOME TO NEWCOMERS

Thank you for joining ChangeForEthiopia: You And I Can Change The World! Please change your status now to "Name...is supporting "ChangeForEthiopia: You And I Can Change The World!" I am State/Country Director for State/Country!" or "I am sending this/that!"

Also, before you do anything else, please invite 100% of your friends on FB to join this group and along with your invitation, please ask them to send ME a friend request so that I can communicate with them!______________________

2. GENERAL INFORMATION ON PROJECT

I have chosen to help Julian make his dreams come true. This is what I am doing, and I ask you to please join me!1) I have written LETTERS to ask for support of this project to (See list of letters and emails sent):2) I have suggested to friends of mine to take a trip to this orphanage 11-18 March 2008.3) I am asking all of my friends from the TRAVELING TEACHERS PROJECT Group and Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program to make ChangeForEthiopia their new project, just as I have done.4) I am asking my American friends to serve as Project Directors for their States and my international friends to serve as Project Directors for their Countries in Africa.5) I am asking that Project Directors contact their local governmental leaders, churches, schools, radio stations, TV stations, and friends to join this project and support it.6) I am asking that all program supporters wear a project t-shirt on 17 March 2009 in honor of this day 7) I am asking that people across the world talk about ChangeForEthiopia.8) I am asking that people across the world send donations of school supplies, baby supplies (cloth diapers and disposable diapers), sheets and blankets, clothes and shoes, furniture, books, toys, flour, water, and food to this orphanage before 17 March 2009.9) I am asking for engineers to go to this orphanage and assist with construction and the building of a well so that the orphanage has water, agricultural specialists go to this orphanage and plant a sustainable garden to provide food to the orphans, doctors and nurses with medicine go to this orphanage to administer health care, teachers go to this orphanage and teach the children.10) I am asking that we all, as human beings, put our personal agendas and cares aside for the next 45 days to STAND for the orphans in Ethiopia and help Isabella’s orphanage get on it's feet and become self-sustaining.11) I am asking that anyone involved in radio, press, or film get involved by going to this orphanage and documenting the help received and the celebration of Julian's dream coming true on 17 March 2009.12) I am asking that government officials from the U.S. and Africa join this project to develop the area around the orphanage so that it will serve as a safe-haven for less-fortunate children and give peace of mind to the parents who are unable to care for them.13) I am asking that America and Africa stand shoulder-to-shoulder in this effort to STAND for this orphanage in any way they can.14) I am asking that ChangeForEthopia and Julian Mackenzie become HOUSEHOLD NAMES in America and Africa until 17 March 2009.15) I am asking that on 17 March 2009, news crews be on site at this orphanage to show the world that Julian is right--that YOU AND I CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!_______________________

3. State Director Names and Information by State or Territory

STATE DIRECTORS: There are 45 of 56 State and Territory Director Positions still unfilled--please send me a friend request and announce that you wish to be the state director in your message to me and in your FB status--then, identify a deputy state director and have them do the same.

There are 53 of 56 State Deputy Director Positions available.____________________

4. Country Director Names and Information by Country (Africa only)

AFRICA COUNTRY DIRECTORS: There are 53 of 58 Africa Country Director Positions still unfilled--please send me a friend request and announce that you wish to be the state director in your message to me and in your FB status--then, identify a deputy state director and have them do the same.

6. ROLES OF STATE, TERRITORY, AND COUNTRY DIRECTORS (as it applies to members of this project):

a. Ensure all members of your state send friend requests to me so that I can communicate with them.b. Ensure all members of your state change their FB status to support CFEc. Ensure all members of your state have invited 100% of their friends (including you), and that they have all sent me friend requests, and so ond. Write a letter to your governor telling him about this project and asking him for his support of the orphanage—use the sample Governor Letter from my facebook homepage NOTE from 30 Jan 09e. Add further instructions as you see fit—each Director has admin rights to our FACEBOOK group site____________________

7. Example letter requesting support of our project:

[Person or Company][Address][Address]

Dear [Name],

My name is [Your name]. I am writing to you today to ask your help on a project I am working on called “ChangeForEthiopia: You And I Can Change The World!” I am supporting this project because [provide your personal reason for volunteering].

What makes this project special is that it was inspired by a 6-year-old boy from Quincy, Illinois. His name is Julian Mackenzie and he drew the project logo shown below. Julian’s family adopted his sister, Isabella, from an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2008, and Julian’s dream is to help her orphanage in any way he can.

The name and address of Isabella’s orphanage is:Hope for Abandoned Children and Orphan Care AssociationDirector Giday BuzunehYeka KK Kebele 17H. No. 1702Addis AbabaEthiopia

There are forty-five orphans needing homes at this orphanage right now, and another four million orphans across Ethiopia needing new homes and new lives. I am sure you are already aware that 1 in 6 children in Ethiopia will die before the age of 5, and that 1 in 10 newborns in Ethiopia will die before the age of 1.

Our project is centered on the hope of not only finding 45 families to adopt these children, but in sending much-needed support to this orphanage in the next 2 months. That is where I believe you come in.

I believe that as [their position], you are in a wonderful position to make our project successful by simply making your support of this project known to your [customers/constituents] in your daily interaction with them. Perhaps they will want to share some of the resources of [business/company] to help these children?

The final day of our project is March 17, 2009. Julian has designated that day as “Day of Tasfa: Hope for Ethiopia’s Children.”

I hope you will visit our group site on Facebook to see our entire list of project goals. I am sure after looking at our goals, you will know better how you personally can help.

Let me tell you what we’ve accomplished so far with our project: We have over 1,475 members in our group—from all across the world—after just over 3 weeks.

We have $4,000 in donations to The Crossing Church for ChangeForEthiopia, Quincy, IL; various fundraisers in Quincy, IL; checks and change to Julian Mackenzie for ChangeForEthiopia; online contributions to Children's Hope International; and diapers sent to our orphanage.

Our project director in Washington, DC, has written to Barack Obama, Oprah, and over 20 celebrities to ask for help. She has asked the Rotary Club of Washington, DC, and the Rotary Club in Addis Ababa, to do a Club-To-Club Project to build a water well at our orphanage. She has written to the CEO of Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us to ask for donations of toys, clothes, and supplies. She has written to Starbucks to sell only Ethiopian Coffee on March 17, 2009 with proceeds going to our orphanage and others.

This is what I have done. I have asked all of my friends to support this project by sending monetary donations or other donations, to include school supplies, baby supplies (cloth diapers and disposable diapers), sheets and blankets, clothes and shoes, furniture, books, toys, flour, water, and food. [List other things you have done, to include selling t-shirts].

We are only 3 weeks into this 2 month project. Can you please help us? These are some things you could do:

1) Fund a shipment of toys, clothing, and supplies to this orphanage before 17 March 20092) Go to this orphanage yourself on March 17, 20093) Join our project group on Facebook4) Do a commercial and talk about the project5) Adopt a child from this orphanage yourself—to do so, just contact Children's Hope International, www.childrenshopeint.org6) Buy and wear a project t-shirt to show your support of the project7) Donate funds directly to the orphanage-- go to our website at: http://chi.convio.net/goto/ChangeForEthiopia8) Donate funds to Heifer International’s project for Womens’ Livelihood Improvement in Ethiopia—to do so, just call Heifer International at 1-800-422-0474

I would be very, very honored if you would please inform me if you received my letter and if you think there is something you can do to help. I would be very happy to deliver your t-shirt to you personally and discuss this project with you at your convenience. I realize you are very busy changing and transforming the significant matters of your [business/company]; however, as Julian says, I believe you and I can ALSO change the world!